The Workbench
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In our garage is an old workbench that is strong and sturdy. A family member built it for us over twenty years ago. Each time we moved, the workbench followed. The workbench has helped us remodel several homes. Today, we use the workbench to create new projects and repair broken things. Last week, I decided to build a new workbench. To keep the gift of the original workbench alive, I am using all the wood from the current bench to create the new one. New creative work will originate from the promise of the old bench.
What solid and sturdy practices in our work with children can we re-imagine and enhance our practice today?
Most educators have a consistent classroom practice that helps us develop connections within our learning community and support children and families.
An essential part of our work with children is examining our teaching practice to keep our work fresh. To provide quality care, educators need to take time and re-imagine their work in the classroom. In my work with children, I use three essential practices that help me re-imagine my work in the classroom, journaling, reflective thinking, and conversations with others.
Journaling is a key practice that helps me re-imagine my work and discover new ideas. I journal twice a day. Once in the morning, before work begins, to set the course for my day. My morning journaling practice focuses on my work from the previous day, what happened in the classroom, and documentation of children’s work. As I write, new ideas develop about the possibilities of our work going forward. Sometimes I use new ideas on the same day. Other times I allow new ideas to percolate. The second part of my journaling practice is to write one page about our daily classroom adventure. I write this journal at the end of each day. The afternoon journal focuses on activities in the classroom and is less structured than the morning journal. The afternoon journal is a brain dump of thoughts and ideas that clears the mind before leaving work.
Reflective thinking is the second part of how I re-imagine my work in the classroom. Before my morning journaling practice, I go for a walk or a run. I do not listen to music or podcasts as I move and connect to nature. My runs are a quiet time to relax and reflect on my thoughts about life, work, or anything. The vital part of this practice is giving your brain space away from electronics and the demands of work to refresh itself. Our brain needs time to work through questions in an area without demands. Moving to a less distracting space helps us develop creative options for the questions on our minds. When I return from my walk or run, I often write down new ideas to explore during my morning journaling practice to help me re-imagine my work in the classroom.
The final part of how I re-image my work in the classroom is sharing ideas with others. After journaling and reflection, I often have some new ideas I would like to try in the classroom. I also have questions about my practice and how to support the children better. In my program, we have a daily meeting. In our daily discussion, I block out time to discuss classroom work and share my thinking developed from my journal and reflective practice. Then I listen and take notes on how the other educators feel about my ideas. Then I review their thoughts and ideas during my journal session the next day. I go through this process before making any dramatic classroom change.
My description may make you feel that re-imagination will take too much time. In some cases, the process of re-imagination will take considerable time. Some challenges are complex and require deep thinking and application to transform. Most ideas I develop are simple changes that enhance our work and need only a little time to implement.
Re-imagination of our practice is like any good thing; it takes work. Re-imagination adds value to your program. When new ideas develop thoughtfully, they stand the test of time. Thoughtful ideas do not interfere but stand firm and support our practice and challenges working with children.